Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the Hot Rod Forum : Hotrodders Bulletin Board forums, you must first register.
Please enter your desired user name (usually not your first and last name), your email address and other required details in the form below.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

Insurance

Please select your insurance company (Optional)

Log-in

User Name

Remember Me?

Password

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.

Additional Options

Miscellaneous Options

Automatically parse links in text

Automatically embed media (requires automatic parsing of links in text to be on).

Automatically retrieve titles from external links

Topic Review (Newest First)

07-17-2012 08:26 AM

ap72

Realistically, id go efi, lower compresion a little, and turbo it. 10:1 compression with about 10psi will surpass your goals, be easier on parts, easier to tune, and deliver better mileage. Your next problem will be the block as you'll be turning up the boost when you start getting greedy. A stock block won't live long at 600hp, even less past that. Running boost and keeping the rpm down will help to a point but it'll always be a stock block.

If your serious about your goals you may want to sell what you have and start from scratch with the parts you need rather than working around left overs.

Btw, when you figure the real price I think you'll reconsider since you have a new baby. Throwing around ten grand is a lot when you have kids to take care of.

07-17-2012 06:31 AM

Yachtsman

Ethanol power

I'm building a Ford(UK) Essex V6 engine principally for the fuel economy I'll get when I use undiluted fuel Moonshine, Ethanol, White lightning fuel. The pistons will be changed to Stock Ford(US) 200 cid 3.68 diameter ones and the con-rods are to be stock Ford(US) 302 V8. The wrist/gudgeon pins are .912 " and both the pistons and the con-rods share that size, but I will have to have my Essex crank reground down from the 2.5" to 2.39" which is the size of the Ford(US) Crank bearings. Apart from the pistons and con-rods the Engine is Totally stock I'm not buying any Tuning equipment. The Essex V6 was rated at 143hp on Gasoline I expect the compression to rise from a pathetic 8.5 to 1 to roughly 16 to 1, Exactly how high I simply don't know yet. Until I assemble the components I can't work out a figure, but whatever the figure I'll have 10hp per full digit of compression rise. that's 230 hp plus. WHO says you can't have fuel economy and power?

12-28-2011 05:33 PM

68NovaSS

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdom22

Clearly I don't mention e85 enough times clear as well should be i am far from a noob. The emphasis of my post is not economy. Great welcoming posts too!

Yep, my mistake, I read right over the E-85 thing. You'll find welcome posts in the Introduction Forum, but welcome from here as well.

12-28-2011 04:53 PM

4 Jaw Chuck

I think the only choice is EFI, do that first and once tuned worry about heads and cams etc. Not cheap but really the only choice given your requirements.

12-28-2011 04:50 PM

jdom22

Clearly I don't mention e85 enough times clear as well should be i am far from a noob. The emphasis of my post is not economy. Great welcoming posts too!

12-28-2011 04:42 PM

68NovaSS

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg T

Hold on thaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!! In the first few paragraphs you speak of increasing your mileage. The rest of the post is about making more power. You don't get something for nothing. Laws of physics will confirm this. So which is it? Do you want more power or better mileage?

Not to mention you claim 13.5 c.r. on the street, with iron heads...is that with pump gas? Then you figure pulling the 750 for an 850 will help take you in the mileage direction? Saying "with efficiency comes power" sounds good, but there are limits, a 600 horse SBC is far beyond that. The efficiency required to make big power comes at a cost, $$$ and lots of fuel.

12-28-2011 02:37 PM

Landshark928

Bryce at Dr.Js knows his stuff. Email him with what you're looking for and he'll make a recommendation of what he can put together for you. He was very helpful getting my set up dialed in. Though he hates that I went fuel injection, he is a hard core carb guy.

His turn key 640HP 400SBC with hydraulic roller cam and street friendly compression ratio is a steal for the price. If I was starting from scratch I would have just ordered that engine with a solid roller and a little more compression.

12-28-2011 02:21 PM

jdom22

that 400ci inch they did made 640hp, not too shabby, the package for 2995.99 is a heck of a deal, heads, cam kit, intake etc...

that has definitely got me thinking!

12-28-2011 02:04 PM

Landshark928

For a 383 shooting for 600HP, better go bigger on the heads. 210's will be better. AFR heads are great. There are others as well. Look at DrJ's Airwolf heads. Better flow for a little less $$ with full CNC.

I saw a magazine article where Joe Sherman made 600Hp on a 383 with AFR 195's but he's the master. I'm a hair shy of 600HP NA with 220's that flow better than the AFRs and a decent cam (250@50 and 600lift.)

For the best mix of economy and power, shell out for an EFI set up.

Or just add a 100HP shot of nitrous and be done with it.

12-28-2011 01:39 PM

jdom22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg T

Hold on thaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!! In the first few paragraphs you speak of increasing your mileage. The rest of the post is about making more power. You don't get something for nothing. Laws of physics will confirm this. So which is it? Do you want more power or better mileage?

ahh, I am a firm believer that you can have both. with efficiency comes power

In my case the poor fuel economy is due to the inability to fully tune the carb in its current configuration.

Max power comes with WOT, economy comes with fine tuning of the idle circuit. Having the ability to make more power comes from making the engine more effecient, or breathe easier, which inturn means better fuel economy (providing I keep my foot out of it )

12-28-2011 01:26 PM

Greg T

Hold on thaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!! In the first few paragraphs you speak of increasing your mileage. The rest of the post is about making more power. You don't get something for nothing. Laws of physics will confirm this. So which is it? Do you want more power or better mileage?

12-28-2011 01:02 PM

jdom22

making 500hp now ina e85 sbc.... want more

I'll get right to the point.
Built a stout little 383 with the help of my friends father (local well known circle track engine builder),
cliffs on the short block:
79 4 bolt block fully race prepped including all stress risers etc.. removed, opened all oiling holes, smoothed all casting in and out.
main caps were replaced (where possible) with nodular iron pieces, and the front was strapped, all arp studs/bolts through out. rotating assembly is forged and balanced to .005 grams He knows all the tricks to make sbc's hold 8k rpm for many, many laps in his circle track motors running meth and making 600+ hp

has 13.5: compression currently has dart IE 215 angle heads fully worked with similar treatment as the block, comp xe286 flat hyd cam
intake is a rpm air gap and topped with holley 750dp with QFT e85 blocks.

the car is a weekend warrior at best, sits most of the time as it has collector plates and gulps fuel to the tune of about 100 miles per tank currently. so I dont drive it a ton other than for some fun
I want to dial in the "cruising" afr's to allow a bit better mpgs, and stop fouling my plugs currently running about 12:1 on my afr gauge (on gas setting) also leans out to 16+ sometimes on tip in and thats a bit scary...

The areas I want to address are: heads, intake, carb, and possible cam

My carb has made decent power on the dyno and was tuned for max power with current setup , but lacks fine tuning ability needed for the street and just runs pig rich all the time.

I Have decided to upgrade to a 850cfm billet baseplate and proform main body to allow the tuning needed to dial in the afr. I'll swap over my qft metering blocks and bowls and misc parts from the 750 and slap that on 1st.

I was next thinking of swapping out the intake. the airgap is nice, but I know its holding me back peak power wise as we picked up over 10 ponies with a 1" spacer that I am currently running. Suggestions based on the rest of my combo (now and and ultimately) would be great. victors? vic jrs? etc...

Then I am thinking heads and or cam. I know my current iron heads are decent, and they have been worked pretty good, but they are pig heavy and aluminum is more forgiving with the higher compression I am running. losing more that 50lbs off the front end is reason enough isnt it?

I keep reading AFR is the head to get, was recommended by an online retailer that if I take their 195 heads and add a big roller cam, I can pick up 100+ hp. realistic? not to sure there....

Based on my current compression, displacement and carb/intake intentions... should I get 195's or bigger? the comp series worth the extra dough?

with 1.6 rockers and my current cam, is it worth the extra dough to go roller cam (which will require retro lifters and all told cost an additional $8-900).

I am not a rich man, I have a wife, a mortgage, 2 kids as of today and sometime in the next few weeks, my 3rd daughter will be born)

I have to do this in stages that make the most sense. It may take me all of 2 yrs to be able to afford all of these upgrades, minus the carb which I fully intend to do this winter.

the car itself is a early 3rd gen Trans Am, has been converted to manual with a nice stout t-56 set up and a has a 9" rear with 3.70's and a locker. car was a nut/bolt resto mod with big wheels/brakes, wide tires and upgraded suspension. rides on rails now. we gutted alot of un needed metal and power accys and it scaled just over 2850 lbs with 1/4 of fuel and no driver. (full interior)

I dont intend to all out race this thing, and still want it drivable on the street, (choppy /high idle is fine as long as it does actually idle) it currently idles around 1100rpm anyway

Blast away guys....

additional thoughts for much further down the road is a possible EFI system.